Health care was a top midterm election issue. Now what?
More people in
The latest threat to the ACA is the administration's partial support for a lawsuit by 20 Republican state attorneys general that seeks to toss the law. The administration has said that it doesn't think the whole law should go, but that it won't defend the suit's attempt to eliminate the ACA's rules requiring insurers to guarantee coverage to those with pre-existing conditions — which can range from asthma and high blood pressure to cancer.
With that backdrop,
"It's a referendum against the
One of the most hotly contested local races — in
Republican incumbent
With a narrow lead from mail-in ballots, Kim claimed victory Wednesday evening, but MacArthur has not conceded, and an official result may not come for days.
The victor will join a House in which power is shifting from
So now what?
Voters sent a clear message that they expect to see action from the federal government on health care, and both
"There is disagreement over the means and ways and how we should ensure people have affordable, accessible coverage,"
With
That doesn't mean the ACA is safe, though. The Trump administration will continue picking away at key provisions through regulatory actions that don't require legislative approval. Trump's rule allowing short-term plans to cover people for 364 days is an example. (The ACA limited their duration to three months.) The day after the midterm elections, the
Any major policy shifts are off the table with a split
But bipartisan legislation in health-policy areas where
Republicans will want to look at the ACA again, too, said
"They certainly cannot leave health care where it is. Politically, going into 2020, that would be perilous," Chen said during the media call organized by the
With little ACA action expected in
States have big opportunities to pursue their own health-policy changes and, potentially, set an example for national change. Many of the policies pursued at the national level were first tested in smaller state markets, Lambrew said.
States could also experiment with their own ways to control drug prices and ease the financial strain of health-care costs.
Others will be taking action on Medicaid expansion following the election. Ballot measures to expand Medicaid succeeded in three solidly Republican states —
Looking ahead, analysts said they expect health care to continue to play an important role in the elections, potentially being a major dividing point between
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